We’ve had some arrivals this week as our group within Eve’s grows…. So nice to have so many friendly faces under one roof. Gloria and her friend, Kim, arrived on Tuesday, making our group now a manageable 9. We shall probably start to subdivide after this for dinners. Anyway, we’ve been having a lovely time and enjoying the company. Janet is better after her sudden and rather violent upset.
So nice to see Gloria and to meet Kim. They flew up from Kerala where they had been staying at the ayervedic hospital on Rajah Island. On their first night, Gloria chose Cow Corner for dinner. It’s a very pretty garden restaurant, run by an Austrian lady, who created it on a singularly unlovely spot where the village rubbish dump used to be and where the scavenging cows used to gather…. hence the name. The food is really good there, different flavours from the usual Patnem fare, and we like it a lot. The service is often stretched and when that happens they seem to retreat into what I would describe as “batch service” ie everyone who ordered say garlic mushrooms gets them at once across multiple tables…. then chicken schnitzel might come out for all diners. It means you might get your food in a strange order and not at the same time as the rest of the people on your table. Tuesday night was no exception and indeed Bob and Joseph’s chips arrived before the rest of their food, and we all watched hungrily as they ate them. LOL.. Anyway, the food was really nice and we had a lovely evening in the garden.
Daytime weather remains hot and sunny and our tans are definitely setting in now. Not lying out and baking in it at all and using quite a high factor.
Yesterday was Kim’s birthday and with guidance from Gloria, she chose Dropadi for dinner. Dropadi, in Palolem is my favourite restaurant in the area. It’s been going for years and the food is top drawer Indian, served with absolute professionalism in a lively buzzy atmosphere with beautiful views over the beach and sunset. The waiting staff have been there for years and years – all locals – which is very unusual and a testament to their management. Whenever we go in, they make a big point of remembering us and coming over to welcome us back and say hello. In 2012, I spent a couple of weeks on my own in Patnem due to work conflicts for Bob and I would come here often and they always took good care of me.
Anyway, we had a super dinner. I had Chicken Kastoori, one of my favourites. Tender chicken pieces marinated in a yoghurt, cottage cheese and herb paste and grilled on a skewer in the tandoori oven. So tender and not dry at all. Bob had regular chicken tikka, also delicious and juicy. Other favourites there that people shared were biryani, Dal Balti – an amazing dish of 4 different sorts of beans/lentils cooked in a rich gravy, topped with melted cheese and served in a sort of copper plant pot. We also enjoyed their excellent gin and tonics – served with little ice buckets of ice and tongs, sliced limes in a glass jar… nice little touches. One of their famous cocktails is a strawberry daquiri and Joseph had a virgin one which looked delicious. A very nice evening.
We came back to Eve’s for a last chat and nightcaps. More of us are on the way. Gigi is in Agonda and comes down next week. Stuart and Fi are in Kerala and arrive in the morning. Pamela and Eddie set off soon too….